The Battle of Ideas Festival has a solid reputation for being unafraid to debate the issues that matter. Our Fight will have a stand at the festival, and be involved in a number of the sessions. We'd love you to join us! Read on for details, including a special discount code.
The Battle of Ideas Festival is a well-established annual forum for tackling the important political, economic, scientific and cultural issues of our time.
Our Fight friends and activists will be at the festival, and we'd urge you to join us. We'll have a stand, at which we'll be explaining to people what we do, signing up new members, and selling merch and tickets for our January conference. Some of the people you have laughed, cried, and campaigned with this year will be putting aside their megaphones, placards, cameras and bail conditions for a weekend, and convening, chairing, speaking and debating.
Mark Birbeck will be speaking on the session Is Anti-Zionism Really Anti-Semitism, alongside Nicole Lampert and Ralph Leonard.
Mark will also be chairing a session on Is it Islamism — Or Is There A Problem With Islam with an incredible panel of Daniel Ben Ami, Josh Howie, Khadija Khan, Connie Shaw, and Jake Wallis Simons.
More details are below, including a special Our Fight link which will give you a 20% discount.
We look forward to seeing you in October.
Battle of Ideas Festival
Date: Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th October, 2026
Venue: Church House, Westminster, London
FREE SPEECH ALLOWED
Conversations for the public, with the public, in public.
#BattleFest / @acadofideas
Tickets
Get your discounted tickets, using the discount code OurFight26.
Sessions Include
There are over 120 sessions across the two day festival, covering a wide range of political and cultural themes. Here is a selection that may be of particular interest on topics relating to boycotts, the Middle East, the political parties, populism, immigration, terrorism, and free speech:
- Controlling the narrative? The politics of misinformation and truth
- Should we put Britain first? The 'national interest' question
- From boycotts to renaissance? Threats and opportunities in the arts
- Convince me: We should not ban the burqa
- From Pride to Palestine: who are today's Greens?
- Unpicking the 'Danish Model': an answer to Europe's immigration problems?
- Will Reform be allowed to rule? Taking on The Blob with Danny Kruger
- What has the BBC ever done for us?
- Does the media need reining in?
- Convince me: the United Kingdom is over
- Visas for all? Britain's immigration scandal
- From Vietnam to Iran, why can't the West win wars?
- Podcast Live: The Brink
- Convince me: we must defend liberalism
- Should we tolerate the intolerant?
- What is racism anyway? (session page not live yet)
- From Kemi's Tories to Andy's Labour: can the legacy parties make a comeback?
- When activism meets the arts
- GB News Free Speech Nation with Josh Howie
- Sanctioning Israel: principle or prejudice?
- What's China up to in the Middle East?
- Podcast Live: Planet Normal – Views from beyond the bubble
- Why is policing Britain so difficult?
- Finally Trumped: who's the heir to MAGA?
- Techlash: blaming social media for everything
- Free speech for me and not for thee: the red lines in free expression?
- NHS, Police, BBC… is politicisation corrupting public services?
- The great realignment: the rise and woes of populism
- Do we know our enemy? Untangling terrorism and extremism
- Grooming gangs to the Nottingham Inquiry: untangling accountability
- What does international development mean to you? Foreign aid and its discontents
- From cultural icons to background noise: what happened to the bands?
- Suicidal empathy: is the West killing itself with kindness?
- TikTok Andy and No.10 North: performance over substance?
Keep up to date with the latest timetable.
Speakers Include
Claire Fox • Lord David Frost • Poppy Coburn • Maeve Halligan • Danny Kruger MP • Jacob Mchangama • Rosie Duffield MP • Emma Trimble • Lord Maurice Glasman • Andrew Fox • Stella Tsantekidou • Remi Adekoya • Ben Jones • Liam Halligan • Timandra Harkness • Tiffany Jenkins • Richard Johnson • Helen Joyce • Julie Bindel • Rosie Kay • Baroness Kate Hoey • Eric Kaufmann • Laila Cunningham • Catherine McBride • Munira Mirza • Lord Jack McConnell • Tom Slater • Mark Seddon • Josh Howie • Alan Miller • Steve Baker • Allison Pearson • Adam Wren • Kathleen Stock • Ameer Kotecha • Jake Wallis Simons • And many more.
Podcasts Live
A number of well-known podcasts will be recording an episode at the Battle.
Tickets
Discounted prices for the weekend and the drinks reception:
- Standard: £120
- Concession: £65
- Student Champion (full-time students and under 30s in STEM): £30
Prices for one day:
- Standard: £80
- Concession: £40
- School Pupil: £10
Make sure to use the OurFight26 discount link to get 20% off.
This event is particularly good for young people, and a real opportunity for them to engage in serious, 'grown-up' debates.
